Electromedical disposable electrodes or skin electrodes are used in particular in connection with registration of heart functions by recording of an electrocardiogram. The EKG electrode is connected with the measuring cable, usually called patient cable, of the recording apparatus.
The EKG electrode is used most frequently in connection with monitoring of patients for extended periods of time. In the development of patient cables for this purpose, good patient comfort has therefore been an essential goal. Some of the results of this are that patient cables with snap fastener connection can today be considered standard, and that the development in the manufacturing of disposable electrodes has been focussed on electrodes with snap fastener connection.
However, there is a growing demand for using EKG disposable electrodes in connection with diagnosis of heart diseases. Since the cables and non-disposable electrodes traditionally used to this end are provided with banana plugs and banana bushings, the disposable electrode for diagnosis must either be provided with a contact means which is more expensive than the ordinary ones because of the manufacturing process, or the patient cable must be supplemented with an intermediate wire between the contact means of the electrode and the banana plug of the patient cable. Such intermediate wires, however, have been found to increase the risk of electrical errors and cause inconvenience to the EKG staff.